AstraZeneca chief says new COVID-19 vaccine will fight UK mutation

The United Kingdom is set to approve a COVID-19 vaccine that drugmakers say is effective in fighting the new variant of the coronavirus spreading around the world.

AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot told the Sunday Times that researchers say its vaccine is as effective as the 95 percent success rate touted by rival drug developers. However, concerns have been raised over preliminary partial test results that suggest that the AstraZeneca shot is only about 70 percent effective for preventing COVID-19.

The new shot from AstraZeneca and Oxford University is easier to transport and store, potentially giving the country another powerful tool to fight surging infection rates there, three weeks after the UK became the first western country to begin inoculations.